County may add voice to calls for reform

STOCKTON - San Joaquin County elected officials want to join the national debate on immigration reform, adding more local pressure on federal lawmakers to take action.

Zachary K. Johnson

STOCKTON - San Joaquin County elected officials want to join the national debate on immigration reform, adding more local pressure on federal lawmakers to take action.

The county Board of Supervisors hasn't taken an official position yet, but it is expected the supervisors will consider passing a resolution at a later meeting. County government overlaps cities and other local agencies, and the elected board represents the entire county, including the vast farmland historically worked by immigrant laborers.

Reform is an important issue in the county because of its $2.9 billion agricultural industry, board Chairman Ken Vogel said.

"There seems to be a shortage of farm labor," said Vogel, who grows walnuts and cherries. He hasn't lost a crop because of lack of workers. But like other farmers, Vogel said he is concerned about the shortage when it comes time to harvest. "I've been anxious a few times."

Farming has become more mechanized, but actual workers are still essential, he said. The agriculture industry in the state has been pushing for immigration reform, including some kind of guest-worker program, he said.

But Vogel said the county's resolution would not need to be too specific to get the message across to Congress that reform is needed.

County staff has yet to draft such a resolution. Supervisor Steve Bestolarides brought up the end of the morning session at the board's regular meeting on Tuesday.

"I had no desired outcomes ... I just thought it merits some discussion," he said. "I think we need to express to our elected representatives, in some manner, how we feel about immigration reform."

Officials and farmers, alike, are keenly aware of the size of the available labor pool.

"The work is being done, the crops are being harvested," county Agricultural Commissioner Scott Hudson said. But sometimes farmers might have to wait to harvest, or they are not getting as many workers as they want when they need them. That can hurt the quality and yield of a crop, Hudson said.

It's been bad in recent years, and it is expected to get worse, he said. "We're going to see crop losses ... We're right there. We're right there on the edge."

Stockton's City Council passed a resolution pushing for immigration reform in 2010. It did again last May, with a resolution that includes a plea for Congress to pass reform including a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

"The pathway to citizenship is the way to a long-term fix," said City Councilwoman Dyane Burgos, who had requested the most-recent city resolution.

Currently the legal way to citizenship is expensive and takes time, enough to split families apart for years, she said, adding that it almost encourages illegal immigration.

The U.S. Senate passed an immigration reform bill last June. The House of Representatives have yet to do the same.

In the meantime, pressure for reform has continued to build in California, where immigration and immigrants figure large on the public agenda. In the past week, the state Legislature passed a bill allowing undocumented immigrants access to driver's licenses.

A group of state Republican lawmakers urged party members in the House to pass immigration reform. That group included Sen. Tom Berryhill, R-Twain Harte, who was elected to represent a Senate district including part of San Joaquin County. And last Monday saw Gov. Jerry Brown sign into law a bill by Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman, D-Stockton, prohibiting law-enforcement agencies from requiring crime victims to prove their legal presence in the country before obtaining crime reports.

"It's a really exciting time in the immigrant community," said Josť Rodriguez, president and CEO of El Concilio.

County agriculture relies on immigrant labor, he said. "It's about time we stand up and say we need immigration reform for our leading industry."

San Joaquin County taking a position on reform would likely have some kind of impact, said Bruce Blodgett, executive director of San Joaquin Farm Bureau.

"This is one of the biggest agricultural counties in the country, not just California."

Immigration reform needs to provide a away to people who want to work in county agriculture to be able to do so, he said.